Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

Posted on May 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

        May 3, 1961: The Times editorial page backs Mayor Norris Poulson, who lost to  challenger Sam Yorty. Although Yorty advocated a two-term limit for mayors, he served three terms and was seeking a fourth when he … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, art and artists, Caryl Chessman, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Comments Off on Yorty Seeks to Limit L.A. Mayors to Two Terms

Garden Grove Teenagers Find Severed Head

Posted on May 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

              Lampson Avenue and Knott Street via Google street view.   April 30-May 18, 1961: Three Garden Grove teenagers riding their bikes along Lampson Avenue near Knott Street, an area of tomato fields, find … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, art and artists, Crime and Courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

From the Stacks – ‘Portraits of Crime’ (1977)

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

    Two years after writing about  LAPD Det. Ector Garcia, I finally located a copy of his book, “Portraits of Crime,” which arrived in the mail from the U.K. while I was on vacation. No one will ever mistake … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1977, books, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Pages of History, San Fernando Valley, Venice Division, West Hollywood, Zombie Reading List | 1 Comment

‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

Posted on April 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1891: The Times reports the death of a Chinese woman named Ah Gue/Goot Gue, who was shot in the abdomen by her husband, Wong Ark/Gam Duck, outside a brothel on Apablasa Street. Ark allegedly killed Gue because she … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1891, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off on ‘The Chinese Murder,’ April 29, 1891

UC May Have to Charge Tuition – Someday

Posted on April 27, 2011 by lmharnisch

          April 27, 1961: The Senate Education Committee turns down a proposed tuition fee for University of California students but says one may have to be imposed — eventually.

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Education | Comments Off on UC May Have to Charge Tuition – Someday

Last Showing of ‘Heaven Is Here!’

Posted on April 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

  http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-382479120564900203&hl=en&fs=true   Google has announced that it will be removing its uploaded videos on April 29. I made this little movie about the Black Dahlia case four years ago and at 21 minutes, it's too long to upload anywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Crime and Courts, Film, LAPD | 3 Comments

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 18, 1941

Posted on April 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

            April 18, 1941: Lee Shippey is hospitalized after what The Times vaguely referred to as “major surgery.” His column continued to appear with guest writers filling in. On the jump: Benjamin “Bugsie” Siegel is … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1941, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor | Comments Off on Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, April 18, 1941

‘The Apartment’ Wins Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director

Posted on April 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

           April 18, 1961: In a ceremony held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented awards to Elizabeth Taylor for “Butterfield 8,” Burt Lancaster for “Elmer Gantry” and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Comments Off on ‘The Apartment’ Wins Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director

Paul Coates, April 13, 1961

Posted on April 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 13, 1961: An Anaheim man found some gold-colored flecks in the backyard and tested them for gold by putting them in a half-teaspoon of mercury that he heated over the stove, poisoning his family, Paul Coates says. “Spade … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, April 12, 1961

Posted on April 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

DEAR ABBY: I boiled when I read the letter from the woman who signed herself “Fed Up.” She was annoyed because her clergyman (Protestant) visited her in the hospital after her seventh child was born and asked her if she had ever heard of birth control.
Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, April 12, 1961

Posted on April 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

We drove aimlessly from Beverly Hills, through Hollywood, up one of the canyons and into the Hollywood Hills. There we parked, looking over the city beneath us… and there Dr. Finch kissed me for the first time. It was a kiss such as I had never experienced before … a kiss of tenderness, a kiss of respect … a kiss of love. I got home at 4:15 a.m.
My husband was furious…
Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Paul Coates | 3 Comments

Paul Coates, April 11, 1961

Posted on April 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

        April 11, 1961: Mayoral candidate Sam Yorty sues Mayor Norris Poulson for slander! Life is good (if you’re a newspaper)!  Al Capp interviews a stewardess for American Airlines – none of this flight attendant stuff in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Adolf Eichmann, City Hall, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Paul Coates, Politics | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 11, 1961

Liz Renay Sentenced to Prison

Posted on April 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

            April 11, 1961: Liz Renay (d. 2007) is sentenced to prison for violating the terms of her probation for perjury in Mickey Cohen’s tax evasion case. She later said: "I have paid a dear … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Comics, Crime and Courts, Mickey Cohen | 2 Comments

Matt Weinstock, April 10, 1961

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 10, 1961: Lawrence Clark Powell, head of UCLA’s library school, surveys students’ attitudes on reading and touches off an interesting exploration of their reading habits. Many say they don’t have time to read for pleasure or that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Adolf Eichmann, books, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Education, Matt Weinstock, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Matt Weinstock, April 10, 1961

Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

      April 10, 1961: Notice the Spade Cooley story. It vanished from later editions, and I couldn’t find the jump, just the Page 1 portion. Paul Coates writes about two Beverly Hills police officers' problems with Police Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, books, Columnists, Crime and Courts, From the Vaults, Homicide, Paul Coates, Zombie Reading List | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 10, 1961

Israel Prepares for Eichmann Trial

Posted on April 10, 2011 by lmharnisch

         April 10, 1961: Israel is preparing for the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the former Nazi Gestapo chief of Jewish affairs, who is accused of crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity. Eichmann’s trial lasted … Continue reading →

Posted in 1961, Crime and Courts | 1 Comment

Matt Weinstock, April 7, 1961

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

       April 7, 1961:  A bail bondsman takes a lesson from “The Untouchables” and finds his missing client in a barber chair, Matt Weinstock says. CONFIDENTIAL TO "HAVING OUR TROUBLES": A very wise woman once told me that … Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

               April 7, 1961: I came across a letter to the editor (on the jump) about Gov. Pat Brown’s grant of clemency for William Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, which I overlooked (so many stories, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

Daily Mirror Readers — ‘The Brain Trust’

Posted on April 7, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo courtesy of Howard Decker Most Daily Mirror readers know him as Fibber. His real name is Howard Decker, and here’s a picture of him covering the Spade Cooley trial. He’s the fellow in the background on the right. Howard … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1961, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Photography | 3 Comments

Paul Coates, April 6, 1961

Posted on April 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

    April 6, 1961: Paul Coates has an update on Synanon, which was praised for the way it treated drug addiction. Later on, as many may remember, Synanon developed into a notorious cult.

Posted in 1961, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 2 Comments